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Posted

I have two 30-pound propane tanks on my ice castle.  It seems like when I burn them down to 1/3 to 1/4 tank, my furnace just can't kick out heat like it does on a full tank. I know that pressure in the tank is the big variable here, and that as gas gets burned, the pressure decreases.  Cold temps also reduce the pressure – the last 2 weekends on Red have been at least -20 most of the time.  This effectively reduces my two 30 pound tanks down to two 20’s.  If I could squeeze out another 5 or 10 pounds from each tank, it would extend my time on the ice without having to refill, and I’m not paying full price to fill a tank that is only 2/3 empty.  Any suggestions on what I can do to get more mileage out of my tanks other than bring a couple spares?  Is it a tank issue or furnace issue?  Furnace runs great on full tanks.  

 

Posted

Use a magnetic tank heater on your tank powered by the generator. Worked for me this last weekend and I burned one to as close to empty as you can get!

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Posted

The "freeze up" problem you are having is due to a combination of the outside temperature and the tendency of an LPG tank to cool itself as the liquid fuel inside the tank "boils" into usable gas. When those two factors combine to drop the temperature inside the tank lower than the boiling point of the fuel, the LPG fails to evaporate inside the tank therefore failing to supply enough pressure in the lines to run the furnace, As FAL mentioned either get a magnetic tank heater or figure out a way to keep the tank(s) warm in a different manner. Best of luck.

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Posted (edited)

I would also find a place that fills your tanks and only charges for what they put in. You may have to check around a bit but they are out there. The magnetic heater strip will also help as stated above. I always make sure both my 30's are full before I go when I know it will be very cold. Takes me days just to empty one 30. I typically run one tank for 3 days and then switch to the other so I am always running fairly full tanks an not on the bottom side of things. I never have any issues.

Edited by harvey lee
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Posted

Can you bring your tank inside for storage or to warm it before going out? If so, you could wrap an insulating blanket around it and/or bury it in snow once you're on the lake to maintain that temperature. Snow is a pretty good insulator especially if it isn't compacted. It would take a pretty long time to cool the tank back down to the ambient air temperature.

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Posted

If you bury it in snow so it will actually freeze itself up worse(not make vapor). Any propane company will tell you to keep your tank at home cleared of snow. 

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Posted

Never heard of that. The temperature inside an igloo will be at about freezing give or take. Logic dictates that the tank would be held pretty close to about that same temperature. Can you provide more information? You got my curiosity up and I don't want to be offering incorrect information.

 

On a side note, I offered this same advice to a neighbor one time when the air temperature was predicted to get down to about -45 degrees. I told him to use his loader and bury the tank. This was back in the winter of '96 during that week when Tower hit the state record at -60. Around here we didn't get quite that cold but At -40 LP gas stops evaporating and a furnace will not work. He got through that cold spell so I figured my recommendation paid off. I could be wrong and just got lucky that I didn't make things worse for him.

Posted

Okay, I did some digging and I think I found the answer. Burying the tank in snow will insulate and help protect the fuel from extreme cold as I figured however there is a potential safety concern. Burying the tank itself is fine but the regulator may be vented so you should keep the regulator and valve assembly fittings clear enough to breath. If it is completely buried, any leaking fuel could be trapped under the snow creating an potential explosive hazard.

The only other reason the LP gas suppliers recommend uncovering the fixed tanks at your home or business from what I could tell is for access both so they can fill it and for emergency purposes. Obviously, accessing our 20# tanks is not an issue.

Hope this is helpful.

Posted (edited)

It is because the air is warmer than liquid propane and helps it boil and  produce vapor. However at -30 degrees it cannot do this well.

Edited by PRO-V

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